Ice Safety 1-Day Workshop

COVID Precautions

We built this program from the ground up with COVID in mind: it’s 100% outside; with physical distancing throughout; clean gear; and no need for group transport.

The specific training sites and equipment that we’ve chosen allow you to ‘self-rescue’—with your skilled instructors nearby to coach you along and help you if you need it—while maintaining physical distancing.

NOTE: If you need to cancel because of a reason related to COVID, or if we have to postpone because of COVID, you’ll get a full credit to repeat the program anytime in the next 18 months—or you can give the credit to a friend.

Pre-screening

Before your session, we’ll screen you as well as all of the other participants and instructors. Screening questions include:

• In the last 14 days, have you had close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 or is presumptive positive for COVID-19?
• In the past 14 days, have you experienced:Fever over 37.8°C / 100°F? Persistent cough? A loss of smell or taste?
• In the past 14 days, have you experienced new or worsening flu-like symptoms?

If you screen ‘positive’, we’ll ask for further clarification, and we may ask that you get medical clearance before you can join the program

Upon arrival

When you arrive at the meeting location, your instructor or Boreal River staff will screen you independently for symptoms and risk factors.

We’ll have an area dedicated for this, away from the main meeting area.

Any participants who screen positive will be given a credit for a later date.

Transmission prevention

• The whole experience takes place outside
• We’ll maintain distancing between people at all times
• Please arrive wearing a mask
• For safety reasons, we won’t wear masks in the water, but we will maintain physical distancing (people in the same ‘pod’ other don’t need to distance)
• Please bring an extra mask in a case (such as a ziplock bag) and a small bottle of hand sanitizer on the ice
• No sharing snacks or supplies, unless it is with somebody you live with
• Please avoid touching your face (especially your eyes, nose, and mouth)
• If you need to sneeze or cough, cover your face with your upper arm

Have a fun, active day outside while you:

• Get hands-on practice with experienced instructors in a great learning environment
• Learn how to judge ice conditions and recognize hazards
• Learn and try out multiple ways to test ice thickness
• Practice rescuing yourself and rescuing others—with basic techniques and minimal equipment
• Understand what safety gear to bring out on winter excursions
• Grow your knowledge and experience—so you can make good decisions when you’re out on frozen lakes and rivers

Knowledge

• General concepts of ice safety and rescue
• How ice forms and thaws
• How to assess conditions
• What to do if you fall in
• What equipment to carry for different activities
• Signals and communications
• First aid topics: drowning and hypothermia

Skills

• Safe methods for approaching weak ice and testing thickness
• Self-rescue
• Rescuing other people with basic techniques
• Throw ropes
• Contact rescues
• Reaching tools and techniques
• Hauling people up and over the ice edge
• Rescue of panicked subjects
• Optional: self-rescue with no drysuit (just street clothes). You can opt into this at the very end of your session. You’ll wear a PFD (flotation device).

Pre-workshop prep

Once you register, we’ll send you a link to our online platform. 

You’ll complete 25 to 30 minutes of prep, including online learning and signing your waiver form.

You’ll also get access to optional additional learning resources.

We’ll provide you with an ‘InfoPack’ with specific meeting times and directions for your workshop.

• Typically hours are 10:00am to 3:00pm. 
• Please arrive 15 minutes early (9:45am)

Your course will take place in a controlled setting on a lake, pond, or still river (NO fast current) with professional instructors.

Schedule

9:45am to 10am – Arrive

• Arrive and we’ll give you your ice immersion suit

10:00am to 10:30am – Suit up

• Change (at your vehicle)—your suit goes on top of base layers (which most people arrive already wearing)
• If we need to drive from the meeting spot to the training site (usually not necessary*), you’ll drive yourself.
  *We generally meet right where we train—but depending on the city/town of your workshop and current conditions, we may drive a short distance to access the best learning ice.

10:30am to 3:00pm – Learn & practice

• Hands-on training! 4.5 hours of professional instruction
• Learn and practice in a fun, supportive environment
• Test the ice with different tools
• Practice self-rescues and rescuing others with minimal equipment
• We’ll finish things of with an optional ‘no-immersion suit self-rescue’—you’ll wear a PFD (flotation device) and your instructors will be close by

3:00pm – Goodbye

• Change
• Goodbyes
• Head home—feeling great after an active winter day outside—with new skills and knowledge for travelling on ice!

This is a general list of what to bring. Please refer to your InfoPack (which you’ll receive once you register) for a complete list specific to your workshop.

We’ll provide you with:

• Immersion suit — this insulated suit is waterproof and has built in flotation, gloves/mitts, and booties
• Rescue training gear (ropes, ice testing devices to try)
• Course safety equipment: first aid kit, communication device, rescue sled

Your packing list:

COVID safety

• Face masks (bring at least 2) – not to be worn in the water
• Hand sanitizer (small bottle)

To bring out on the ice

• Backpack for your food, thermos and extra layers
• Snacks, lunch, and water bottle or thermos
  Keeping yourself fuelled with calories is one of the keys to staying warm and happy. We usually don’t stop for a long food breaks but instead, take several shorter eating breaks so it’s good to bring lots of food and things that don’t require preparation. 
• Personal medications
• Sunscreen, lip protection
• Optional: insulated lunch bag and heat pack
  An insulated lunch bag can be a nice option for storing food, beverages, medications, phone, and any other items you don’t want to freeze out on the ice
• Optional: Pencil and notepad / book 
• Optional: Camera or action cam 
• Optional: Sunglasses or prescription glasses with strap 

Clothing to wear for ice immersion sessions

We provide an ‘immersion suit’, please wear/bring these items to go along with it:

• Synthetic or wool long underwear top and bottom
• Synthetic or wool winter socks
• Thick fleece top, wool sweater, or synthetic ‘puffy’ top
• Fleece or wool warm pants (or very thick long underwear)
• Toque (warm hat) X 2
• Neck/face warmer
• Warm winter mitts (these are in addition to the ones built into the suit )
• Winter boots or footwear (depending on the suit, you can sometimes wear these over top or inside)

Clothing for your travel to and from the course

• Change of clothes and winter boots for your way home
• Gear bag to store your equipment for transport

Clothing for OPTIONAL ‘no-immersion suit self-rescue’

At the end of the session, you’ll have the opportunity (100% OPTIONAL) to experience going into the ice water with no immersion suit and rescuing yourself. (Your instructor will be right there and closely watching you if you need a hand).

You’ll wear a PFD (flotation device), which we provide, and ‘street clothes’ or base layers.

If you’re considering doing this, please bring:

• An set of street clothes or base layers which will get soaked (these could be the clothes you start with under your immersion suit…since we’ll be done afterwards)
• A bag or container to transport the wet stuff in afterwards

Optional: any other outdoor gear or work clothes you want to try falling in the water with (examples: xc-skis and poles, snowshoes, work coveralls, winter boots or ski boots, snowmobile suit and helmet, etc.)—keep in mind these will be soaked afterwards)